Chain fastener



Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

UNITE-D STATES ATENT oFFIc EDWARD E. MARX, or BEAVER FALLS,YENNSYLVANIA.

01mm FASTENER.

Application filed September 22', 1925. Serial No. 57,885.

This invention relates to improvements in chain fasteners andparticularly to' a fastening device for use in connection withautomobile tire chains to secure the ends or sections thereof inassembled relation on a wheel. a

An object of the invention resides in providing a chain fastener formingan inclependent u'nit separate from the chain and adapted to secure thesame in assembled,

independently operated fastening devices constructed so that thestresses applied to the fastening device due to the pull exerted on thechain will exert a stress thereon adapted to produce such an operationof the.

- fastening device foropposing lateral stresses applied by the engaement of the fastener -in mud over the surface of the roadway or otherobstructions which normally have the" tion terminates in a substantiallysmall tendency to open fastening devices of this character, and causethe loss of the chains 7 from the Wheel. 4 e

The invention a further comprehends' im-' provements in'the constructionof the unit" "curved so that it extends across the center fasteningdevices so that the stresses applied thereto in different directionswill tend toi hold the same in interlocked, connection with c the linksand prevent the loss of chains through accidental disengagement, whichfeatures are pointed out in the following detailed description, and inthe claims 7 without departing fromthe' spirit or scope directed to apreferred form of the invention, it being". understood, however, thatvarious changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may bemade of the invention as herein set forth. In the drawing forming partof this application: a

Figure 1 illustrates a plan View of the improved fastener forming thesubject matter of this invention, portions of which are shown inassembled relation. of a chain, and ,crtions beingshown in open positionin otted' line's.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the fastening deviceillustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing portions broken away and insection and illustrating a slightly modified construction to producebet-Ween longitudinal and lateral stresses for equalizing the same andmaintaining the fastener in self-locked relation with the links to whichit is secured.

'A pair of link members are mdicated at 1, which are secured together inspaced parallel relation by tubular rivets 2 at the opposite endsthereof. .The tubular rivets each support a pair of cooperating'fastenerelements 3 and i'respectively, which comprise duplicate hook members 6pivotally mounted on the rivets 2 in opposite and cooperating relation.

Each hook member isformed with a base portion 7 of substantial width asshown in Fig. 1, and having the major portion thereof rounded incircumferential relation with the opening receiving the rivet 2, andfrom relation as at 8 tea portion of narrow stantially uniform width,while the end porcurved portion 11 of :a size slightly larger than the.diameter of the cross section of the link 12.

The extreme end portion of the hook is a' greater opposing action' whichextendsthe hook portion in tapering line drawn betweenthe center of theopen- 7 the hook 'is indicated by the numeral 13.

By this/construction the ends 13 of each 1 pair ofhook members whichcooperate to receive the link 12, overlap as illustrated in 'Fig. 1 forthe purpose of effectively locking the link between the hook membersandto prevent the accidental disengagement of said link from said hookmembers. In this Way the pair of hook members cooperate with thelinkproviding a self lock for the link in the position shown in Fig. 1.i

"In the construction as above described,

it is to be understood that each pair of hook members?) and 4 areoperable independently of the other and that the hook face 6 of eachpairor hookmembers cooperate with one another in the retaining of thelink in engagement therewith as shown in Fig. 1. The links are insertedinto the position shown in Fig. 1 by separating the pair 'of hookmembers through the moving of one of the members about the rivet 2 asthe pivot so that the position assumed in dotted lines in Fig. 1, willpermit the insertion of said link between said hooks which areafterwards moved toward each other into an overlapping position topermit the movement of the link froma position between the hooksadjacent to the rivet 2 between the ends 13 and into the portion ofsmall diameter 11 as shown in Fig. 1.

In moving the link into the position shown in F ig, 1', the same willengage the portion of substantially large radius indicated by thenumeral and cause a separating movement of the hooks away from'eachother,

" which'will bring'the ends 13 into overlapping relation as shown whilethe links will be seated in the portion formed by the juncture of thelarge arcuate portion 10 and the small arcuate portion 11.

A pull on tire chains or other chains connected by this fastening devicewill operate to maintain the hook members 6 in the position shown inFig. 1. l/Vhen applied to a motor vehicle wheel for holding andfastening the tire chains on said wheel, it should be readilyappreciated that the portion of the chain connected by the fasteningdevice engages the ground, a pull will be exerted on the fastener whileat the same time, if the wheel passes through a consid-' erable amountof mud or the like, lateral stresseswill be applied to the generaldirection of pull to the portion of the hook as indicated at 14t whichwill tend to move the ends 13 out of overlapping relation so that thepull exerted on the fastener in a longitudinal direction through thesame and with the chain will neutralize this transverse stress whichwould otherwise have a tendency'to move the hooks in greater overlappingrelation and move the ends 13 out of their overlapping relation as shownin Fig. 1. r

It will thus be seen that pulls exerted longtudinally of the. fasteningdevice will always operate to overcome and neutralize transversestresses applied to the hook mem bers which might tend to cause adisengagement of the links from said hook mem- V by providing the hookmembers 6 with diagonal slots 16 receiving the rivet 2' arranged so thatthey will lie in angular re lation as shown in Fig. 3, in orderthat apull on the hook members will cause the same to take the position showninFig. 3, while lateral stresses will. operate to move the hook at thetubular rivets so they will lie in the opposite ends of the slots fromthat shown in Fig. 3. In this way, the stresses are absorbed through therelative movement'of the butt ends of the hook members by the provisionof the slots 16. This tendency of lateralstress to overcome longitudinalpull is also additionally guarded against by the provision of a greaterarcuate portion portion as 10 than in the hook shown'in Fig. 1, which ismade on a substantially longer radius than theportion 10 of Fig 1.

At 17, this are 10 merges into a substantially small arcuate portion inthe end portion of the hook which is curved at 18, to

provide a portion of larger arc at 19 and" another portion of small areat 20, while the ends of each of the hook members indicated at 21 extendnormally in overlap ping relation. These long arcuate portions 10 and 19being arranged in angular relathe portion of small curvature 17 throughthe cooperation of these curvedsurfaces with the link. This cooperationwill take place without regard to the direction of the transverse stressapplied which willbe partially absorbed at the pivot of the link of thehook members on the tubular rivets 2.

It should thus be understood from the above description, that afastening device has been provided for tire chains adapted for use onautomobiles which will effectively prevent the loss'of the chains fromthe wheels through the accidental disengagement of the links therefromby reason'of the stress distribution and equalization of the same asabove explained resultingln the self-locking of a link in each. pair ofhook members.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. Afastening device of the class described, comprising a pair of linkmembers, pivot pins connecting said link members at the ends thereof, apair of hook members pivotally mounted on each of said pivot pins,independently of one another, said hook members being of identicalformation, and the hook members of each pair being mounted in opposedrelation, each of said hook members being formedv in a predeterminedmanner, for providing acooperation between the free end portions of eachpair of hook members for retaining a linktherein in self-lockedrelation, one pair of hook members providing a lock in open position forthe other pair of hook members to prevent opening of said last mentionedpair of hook members.

2. An article of manufacture providing a chain fastener, comprising apair of duplicate link members, pivot pins mounted in opposite ends ofsaid link members, and pairs of hook members pivotally mounted on saidpivot pins, all of said hook members being duplicates and having thebase I portions of each pair mounted in superposed substantiallycoincident relation, and hook portions positioned in opposed relation ineach pair and formed for self looking cooperation with the link of achain.

3. A hook member for chainvfasteners; wherein the chain fastenerincludes a pair of link members, pivot pins connecting said linkmembers, and pairs of duplicate hook members pivotally mounted inopposed .re-

lation on said pivot pin for self looking cooperation with a chain link;comprising a flatbody of sheet material havinga, large substantiallycircularvbase portion formed with a central opening, said body extendmgin tapered relation from said base portion and merging into a hookportion of substantially uniform width and having a EDWARD n. MARX.

